Marketing tips that bring customers through your door.

Plain-English advice for small businesses. No jargon, no fads, just the things that actually help a local business get found and get busier. This is the Towpath Journal, written by me, David.

Latest Social media

Doing your own social media? Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, sorted

Agencies charge hundreds a month for this. Here is how to do a genuinely good job of it yourself, platform by platform.

9 min read
Your website

Starting from home? What your first website actually needs

You do not need a big, expensive site to start. Here is exactly what a first website needs, and what you can safely skip.

8 min read
Local marketing

How to land your first ten customers with no marketing budget

Your first customers rarely come from clever marketing. Here is how to get the first ten without spending a penny.

8 min read
Bookings & enquiries

Five things quietly costing you customers on your website

Most sites lose customers with five small, fixable mistakes. Here is how to turn more visitors into enquiries.

7 min read
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Getting found on Google

How to get your business into Google's local Map Pack

The three results with the little map above them win most of the clicks in your town. Here is how a small business earns a place there, step by step, in plain English.

9 min read
A
Reviews & reputation

How to get more Google reviews, without breaking the rules

Reviews are word of mouth at scale, and they help you rank too. Here is how to earn a steady stream of them the honest way.

7 min read
This week MonTueWedThuFriSat Three posts. About twenty minutes.
Social media

A simple weekly social media routine for a busy local business

You do not need to be everywhere or post every day. You need a small routine you can keep. Here is one that takes about twenty minutes a week.

8 min read

Nothing in that category just yet. More posts are on the way.

I can build the website these tips point to.

Reading is one thing, having the time is another. If you would rather I set up the site, the Google profile and the rest, tell me about your business and I will come back with a fixed quote.

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